As the saying goes, "a picture is worth a thousand words." If this were true, then flash fiction would be the equivalent of one picture.
Kicking off the Write Thing Reading Series, Medaille College presented two authors for Just Buffalo's "Communiqu?(c): Flash Fiction" on Feb. 1. The event included featured authors Sara Greenslit and Dan Borzutzky reading pieces of their work in the flash fiction genre.
Flash fiction, or short-short fiction as it is sometimes called, is generally less then 1,000 words and meant to be read in one sitting.
"It gives fiction writers a chance to do what poets do," said Forest Roth, a spokesman for Borzutzky.
"Just like athletes need a warm up, I will read a piece entitled 'Alphabet' as my warm up," Sara Greenslit said.
The piece was read in the fashion of an alphabet, with each letter representing something. She focused on many ornithological aspects, as she later explained was a secondary theme for her book.
Entitled "The Blue of Her Body," the book focuses on daily struggles and emphasizes them through use of language.
Greenslit read another piece entitled "Winter Light, Memory." Here she describes the state of depression and uses her knowledge of biology to describe how the main character treats it with medication. Such passages almost seem like the information one gets from a prescription bottle.
Dan Brozutzky's writing is eccentric and oftentimes very funny, with graphic depictions and sexual demeanors.
One such piece is "The Shrinking Island," which references Al Qaeda. Another piece is entitled "Urban Affairs," in which he attempts to poke some fun at the problems of everyday life. There is a heavy use of personification in the way he makes certain objects seem almost human, such as coffins rising out of graves.
As far as writing for a particular audience, he claims that he never really took that into account.
"The audience is usually readers that are other writers themselves, in which they are reading with their own writing in mind."
As flash fiction quickly gains popularity and worldwide recognition, its authors will continue to expand their writing styles, growing with the young genre itself.
More information is available at literarybuffalo.org. Next up is fiction writer Brock Clarke on Thursday, Feb. 9 for Canisius College's third installment of the Contemporary Writers Series.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
